Anarchy, Wealth, and a Dullahan
by Drake Kanto
Summary: As far as anarchy goes, Gabriel is knee-deep in it. He enjoys starting riots for the highest bidder and generally does what he wants. His latest assignment puts him deep into a war being waged with few choices in the way of allies, but little does he know that there is a plot unfolding that will stand as the ultimate test of his skills and his character. (A retelling of a one-shot)
1. Rebellion

**A/N:** "Welcome...to your doom!" *Coughing fit, blood included* Sorry about that, I've just always wanted to try coughing up blood. Go ahead, say it, I know I'm weird. If you're new to my ways, prepare for a baptism...by fire, blood, yelling and anything else that you may find mildly unpleasant. This is the start of my first true fanfiction, based on the Dullahan entry of the Monster Girl Encyclopedia. I came upon this idea in a poll that I had at the end of my first series, _The Monster Girls One-Shot Collection!_ , where readers voted on the three one-shots that I should expand upon. For those of you are familiar with my work (and my personality), it's good that you managed to find your way here. I know I said (to myself) that I would wait until this story was finished before publishing, but I figured that you guys have more than earned a little something different for all your support. So, without further pause, I present to you the start of my tale between Man and Dullahan.

* * *

With a final sip of my drink, it's time to get to work. The bar's nearing closing time, so this is the perfect time to spread some chaos on the town. I get up from the counter and slip some money under my empty glass. I wave a hand at the dozing bartender and put my hands in my pockets, taking my time leaving the establishment. As much as I've enjoyed my evening here, duty calls. I check the time on my watch and put my free hand to the knife I keep strapped to my belt. It's midnight, so that means that my work is starting and I need to find a place where the rowdiest drunks will gather. Without any particular destination in mind, I start walking to the center of town, hoping that I'll hear some rumors by chance.

"What are your plans for..."

"...pub for a drink..."

"Soon...fear. Panic will..."

That last one gets my attention, especially the part about panic spreading. If another group is thinking about doing my job for me, then I can give myself a nice bonus as well as have an easier time with my work. I peek at the two individuals that are having the conversation. They both wear black robes with hoods so that no one can identify them, but my trained eye catches everything that happens to escape the cover of their robes. I see light brown hair, horns on one and furry ears on the other, as well as faint energy rolling off of them both. One of them hands a sheet of paper to the other and they both shuffle away at a brisk pace down an alley.

I start to pursue, curious about their intentions and the means they have to execute their plan. They rush through crowds of people like phantoms, but I'm not easily deterred. After we leave the commercial district, there is less and less that I can use for cover whenever the two figures look back for any followers. Not wanting to take risks, I make a detour into a tight alleyway between two buildings. I take a deep breath as I give myself a few precious seconds to gather my focus. In a swift burst of movement, I fling myself against the wall of a building and latch onto it. Pushing off, I leap higher and grab hold of the opposite building. Using this technique of wall-jumping, I quickly scale the buildings and climb on the roof of one just in time to see my two targets moving away. I run across the roofs, hopping over the gaps separating each building as I close in on the moving robes.

* * *

Far away from all of the noise on the outskirts of town, we stop and the shadows duck into a random building. I find an open window and swing inside, plowing through random rooms until I find stairs leading downwards. In a closet near the entrance, I find several black robes so I take one to use as a disguise. I blend in with a gathering group of followers as I descend, listening in on what I could.

"Do you know anything about tonight's meeting?"

"Apparently we've finally found a weak spot in the guards' patrol routes."

"Finally, we can make our voice known to everyone who wronged us!"

"I hope they all get what's coming to them."

"I heard they killed Zeke last week, without a reason other than 'questioning the church'."

"Those monsters..."

It seems that everyone here has been wronged in some way, but they've waited far too long to be redeemed. Unfortunately, I'll have to tear this cult apart once the opportunity comes. We reach an immense open chamber with a single beam of moonlight coming down through the ceiling. In the center is a raised level where I see the two mysterious people that I followed here. Everyone in the chamber hushes their individual conversations and soon all eyes focus on the two speakers before them. The two mysterious leaders uncover their heads, exposing themselves for every follower to see. Luckily, I ended up close to the front so I could see the exact details of both of them. As I suspected, this whole meeting is being led by monster girls as the two leaders are a Hellhound and a Lilim, two powerfully influential species in the monster world. The Lilim takes the initiative and steps forth first, clearing her throat.

"Tonight, we will take this city in a storm of vengeance! The Order believes that they hold us under their thumb, but we will show them that war is the _last thing_ to ask for against the monster race! I'm aware that our rules forbid us from committing acts of violence, but if what other language will the Order understand? I'm glad we could be joined by so many Human supporters as the months passed, and now is the time for action. Vera will now explain our plans."

The Hellhound takes her spot as the Lilim backs away. Unlike the elegance and charming charisma that the Lilim emanates, the Hellhound radiates an aura of pure recklessness and volatile instinct which is quite scary when adding the fact that she isn't even trying to hide her power.

"Thanks for the pep talk, Andrea; you sure know how hold a crowd! Anyways, in a few more days we're going to launch our biggest, baddest, and most powerful plan yet! In a few days, the Order will be so caught off-guard that they'll fall over in their chairs when we kick'em off our streets! Listen up and listen good: recently, I was able to make the _acquaintance_ of a senior officer in the Order and he agreed to give me some information about their future activities. There's a small armory on the far side of town that can get us ready for our target. Currently, the leader in town is a man called 'Sir Lazarus'. They say he's immortal, but I aim to prove them wrong. He's the reason for the Order being here, so I say we storm the Order's base and kill him. Then, everyone will follow our lead and we'll finally get the freedom we deserve instead of the taxes and executions given by the Order!" Vera thrusts a fist into the air and howls while everyone else cheers their approvals in thundering unison.

* * *

 _Hmm...for a bunch of ragtag rebels, they're not too bad at raising morale. However, they'll need more than just spirit and cheering to win a war on the same day it starts. I like the plan they've got, though; it's always smart to attack the leadership. Something about this whole movement interests me greatly, but I'm still on the job and I can't have some third party take away my payment._

I unsheathe my knife from my belt and throw off my cloak as I leap into the air. Using the heads of the rebels as stepping stones, I propel myself towards the center stage with clear purpose. The rebellion leaders look at me with surprise and fear painted on their faces as I gradually gain more momentum from each head I kick off of. Within minutes, I'm standing in front of the leaders who have given me a wide berth, yet stand their ground. Andrea stares at me with false courage as her legs shake, but Vera starts taking a few cautious steps towards me.

"You must be either brave or stupid if you think you can take us down!" She proclaims.

"It's nothing personal. I'm just doing this as part of my job; you must understand." I explain in a monotone voice.

"T-There does not need to be any violence here. W-We can just talk about this, s-so please put the knife away-" Andrea tries to defuse the situation.

"No deal. I've already taken the job and I plan to see it though." I glare at them both as I raise my knife in preparation.

"You can't hope to win here! Join us, and we'll make sure you're _well compensated_." Vera's fear is evident by now, but it doesn't faze me in the slightest.

"Bargaining with me? I thought you had more pride than that..."

I sprint forward with my knife ready, faster than anyone else could react. Instantly, I sidestep Vera and quickly jab her lower back with the weapon. She grunts in pain as she collapses onto the floor. I don't stop my stride as I approach Andrea, delivering a quick tackle when I get close enough. Spinning the knife, I stab hard into her stomach which makes her fold over in pain before becoming motionless. The rebellion members all stand too shocked to do anything to retaliate, and everyone is deathly silent as I cast a cold gaze over them. I put my knife back into its sheathe and take a deep exaggerated breath.

"This rebellion...is over."

At my command, all of the followers rush out of the chamber in a frenzied panic. After the last one leaves, I turn back to Vera and Andrea who lie still on the floor and sit down to plan my next move for this job.

* * *

 **A/N:** A bit of a somber and violent start, but hear me out first. This is just a prologue to get us introduced to the hero of our story. Granted, he seems like a bloodthirsty mercenary at this point, but keep your minds open about him. 'There's two sides to every coin' or something like that as the saying goes. If any of you have read up on monster girls in general, you'll know exactly why I want you to keep clear heads. Anyways, that was a pretty entertaining first chapter for this story and I hope I see you all again in the next one! Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts so far, or send me a message for more 'explicit' comments on my work. I'll happily accept any suggestions you have for me, so don't hold back for my sake!


	2. Escalation

**A/N:** And we're back with another installment to this story! I'm somewhat disappointed, but otherwise happy with the initial reception that the first chapter received. Firstly, let me clarify a few things for you all: 1. This story takes a somewhat realistic approach, 2. I try to follow the guidelines of the MGE, 3. There is no number three. Now that those are settled, we can get into the _real issues_. Last time, we just witnessed our hero single-handedly shut down a rebellion against the Order, but what will be the result of his actions? By the way, the Dullahan of this story will finally make an appearance, so I suggest that you all keep your eyes open for it!

* * *

"Uhh...what...happened? Where am I?"

"Vera? Vera! I'm so glad you are alright!"

"Oof! Take it easy, Andrea. What happened to us?"

"I could tell you, but if two need some time alone then I just wait in the other room." I call out from the hallway.

I poke my head into the guest room to check up on the two girls. Vera hops out of her bed and storms towards the door, Andrea following closely behind. As expected, Vera grabs me by my shirt collar and pulls me into the room with a claw at my neck.

"What's all this about!? What did you do to us bastard!?" She threatens.

I don't react at all, simply out of a lack of concern. A simple poke to Vera's side is all I need to subdue her since her injury is still fresh. Andrea holds her partner up, but maintains a stern face as they both look up at me.

"You two obviously have a lot of questions for me, but I'll save myself the effort of answering and give you this instead." I reach into my coat pocket and pull out a sheet of paper that I had been reading this morning. Slowly and carefully, the girls read aloud the words in bold print at the very top of the article.

" **New Development: Underground Rebel Group Surrenders, Leaders Killed...** "

"Yep, I just read the news this morning. You two are out of a job." I calmly comment before stepping back out of the room.

"Hold it!" Vera shouts as she grabs me again.

"What now?" I lazily acknowledge.

"Why did you let us live?" She demands.

"I don't like killing unless it's personal; that's about it."

"We'd like to know what your purpose is in all this..." Andrea calmly asks me.

"My name is Gabriel, and I don't have a stake in your war at all. It's just business for me."

"Then why did have to tear apart everything we've worked for!?" Vera fumes and shakes me roughly.

"You two were planning on starting a war on the Order. That kind of thing would take away my reward for the job I have to do."

"What is it that you do exactly?" Andrea holds Vera's arms in place to give me some respite.

"Well for now, I'm planning to assassinate Lazarus."

In a flash, I escape from Vera's grip and walk down the hall to prepare for work. All I'm wearing is a set of casual clothes plus an overcoat, and of course my knife. As I tie the laces on my shoes, I feel a faint bloodlust approaching me, but I pay no mind to it. Suddenly, I feel arms wrap around my neck as I'm caught in a chokehold. Andrea steps to block my way as Vera tightens her arms.

"We're coming with you."

"...?" I raise an eyebrow.

"There's no way we're gonna let you take our kill from us, so let us tag along until we find Lazarus." Vera adds, loosening her hold.

"Grab some breakfast then, we're heading straight for the Order's main base." I announce, rubbing my sore neck.

* * *

The clouds hang ominously above the town, giving a dark impression to everyone's morning. The three of us walk through the town silently as the streets slowly fill with small crowds just starting to wake up. Despite having lost their forces in an instant, the two of them are recovering well in my company. I learn that Vera's twin sister was taken away by Lazarus' men and Andrea is here to find her husband who was also taken away. I ignore the rest of their stories as we start to approach the building serving as the Order's headquarters. Two heavily-armored knights stand guard against the gate marking off the structure's area, watching us sternly as we stop in front of them. I could bribe the guards to let us through, but it will get tricky after that since there's no guarantee that Vera will be able to stay quiet inside. I scan our surroundings for any weakness that I could exploit, but the high walls and armed sentries walking about make it difficult.

 _There!_

I tug on Vera's and Andrea's clothes, hinting to them a suggestion of retreat. We nod our farewells to the gate guards, walking away with out backs turned. After about 100 meters, we hide ourselves in an alleyway to discuss the plan.

"I found a way for us to get in without having to fight the guards: there's a 3-meter gap between the wall and another building. We can jump across, knock out any patrolling guards, and take their armor as disguises."

"That's all well and good, but how do we get inside without raising suspicion?" Vera's strategist side is indeed something to praise.

"We could wait until the shifts change, then sneak in during the mild confusion." Andrea suggests, brushing aside some of her white hair.

"Too much waiting; Lazarus dies today while everyone is alert. I need as much panic as possible to come from his death." I darkly remark.

"Let's just do this the old-fashioned way and-" Vera's golden eyes light up.

"No; fighting will just bolster the guards' resolve. I need the riot to be in the people's favor."

"You didn't let me finish!", I receive a punch to the arm from Vera as she continues, "I meant we should just sneak into Lazarus' office from the roof."

I nod in agreement, smiling slightly when Andrea nods as well. With our plan set, I take the lead by wall-jumping upwards off the buildings, landing on a roof. Vera follows me, overtaking the ascent in a single leap with a grin on her face while Andrea flies with her wings. A grin permanently plasters itself on my face as we go through the same routine that I did last night. With the Order building fast approaching, I take a long leap at the huge surrounding wall just in time for an unfortunate sentry to pass by on his patrol route. The poor man didn't even get a moment to scream before I crashed into him feet first, knocking him down. He falls unconscious before he sees me, but I strike him once more in the head to put him into a deeper sleep. Some other guards must have heard my landing, but Vera and Andrea knock them out for me in their own landings.

Here we are, above the window leading to Lazarus' window. The other sentries walking along the outer wall barely take notice of us standing on the roof, but one can never be too careful. I take some deep breaths and ready my knife for the fight. Vera is unarmed, but her claws are sharp enough to cut through metal so there's no worry about her. Andrea is a Lilim, and enough stories have been told throughout the world about the magical power held by the daughters of the Demon Lord. I doubt Lazarus has bodyguards, but without any further suspense I break through the window ready for a fight as the girls follow.

In the center of the the spacious room stands a lone knight, fully-armored and imposing with tall height. I look to Vera and Andrea, but they start combating Lazarus right away. Vera slashes at him with her claws, but Lazarus dodges all of her attacks and blocks them barehanded. Andrea supports her partner with well-aimed fireballs, but somehow the magical hits don't even stagger the knight let alone damage him. I myself crouch low, easing into a nimble stance as I analyze the fight.

 _Lazarus moves with superior reflexes, but doesn't seem hostile since he hasn't drawn his sword yet. His breathing is getting heavier, so it seems that he can't keep this up for much longer. In a few more movements, I should be able to launch an attack that even he can't avoid..._

The mistake I count on comes, as Vera finally lands a smash hit on Lazarus' chest and staggers him. Andrea follows up with a flame-infused punch of her own, adding to the considerable flinching that the knight experiences. I bolt forward, just like I did against Vera and Andrea, my purpose clear as my knife is raised in my hands. One swipe is all that I need to strike him down, his head instantly separating from his body as I pass by. My work finished, I pick up our fallen foe's head and escape the building before Vera and Andrea can say anything else.

* * *

 **A/N:** Nothing like a good action scene to get the cheers going. I definitely could've made this a bit more drawn out, but I figured that keeping it short would be best. If you thought that Gabriel would stick around to clean up after that fight, let me remind you that he doesn't have any stakes in their war aside from profit. I know, Lazarus seemed like a huge wimp despite his near-invulnerable defense, but if it's three against one then what chance do you have? Third chapter will be out soon, so in the mean time leave a comment if you'd like telling me if I did well or not. Thanks for reading!


	3. Circumstance

**A/N:** Thrice-blessed is this story now! I'm really starting to enjoy this. Then again, I've always liked writing fiction. This chapter will now introduce some of the lighter elements to the story as well as a bit of development. I don't really know what I was doing with the first two chapters, but I got back into my usual style with this one; you'll see. What else do I have today...ah! There may be a bit of slow in one-shots coming out due to another lapse of writers' laziness. To remedy that, I'm watching a bunch of anime like always, so there shouldn't be too much of a delay. Enough about my problems, let's jump into this new chapter!

* * *

"Yawn, I woke up way too early today." I stretch out my tired limbs in my bed, still exhausted from my previous job.

I smile happily when I look to my nightstand, eloquently decorated with the head of Lazarus. It's been almost a month since I killed him, but the job didn't end there. The day after the battle, Vera and Andrea contacted me via letter expressing their thanks for helping them resolve the town's problems. With Lazarus killed, the Order took a sharp blow to morale and soon enough, the rebellion movement was reformed. However, the riot that my job required didn't happen. The rebels were getting bold, but not enough to openly attack the guards. To remedy the situation and finally finish the job, I orchestrated a large-scale prison riot and freed several convicted agitators resulting in a city-wide free-for-all that had both the guards and rebels in a panic. I left town afterwards, satisfied with the job finally being finished.

-Knock knock knock-

The sound echoes through my otherwise quiet home, shaking me out of my thoughts. I quickly get out of bed and head to the front door, passing through my messy kitchen in the process. I make a mental note to take more time cleaning it when I return home again. Not wanting to neglect my empty stomach, I fill a cup with clean water and go to the door with my drink in hand. I take a long sip and pull open the door, not even bothering to look at my guest. In the middle of finishing my drink, I lazily cast my eyes to the visitor and nearly collapse on the spot with a heart attack.

Standing there on my doorstep is a suit of armor covered in dirt. I almost didn't recognize it as armor due to the sheer volume of debris. The armor just stands motionless as I lean in closer to find any clues to identify the owner. However as soon as I lean over it to peer inside, I spit out the water in my mouth at the sight. Instead of a black void inside, I see the cross-section of someone who was just decapitated. The water I spit into it was absorbed right away, which frightens me even more. Before things get any weirder, I slam the door and shut out the apparition, hoping that it will take the hint and go away.

* * *

With my morning officially ruined now, I trudge back to my room hoping that all of it is a bad dream. I literally fall into my bed without another word and shut out all of the sunlight that dares to enter my room. I don't care about anything except sleep at the moment, even if that body starts to knock again. As I lay in my bed with my head against the pillow, I look over at Lazarus' head once again and poke at it.

"My morning is ruined thanks to you. Your body is just about the creepiest that's ever graced my doorstep; nearly gave me a heart attack.", I pick up the head with one hand and hold it closer, "If you are pissed at me for killing you, then just say so. You don't need to have your body come here to-"

"I'm not angry at you in the slightest, and my body is moving of its own will." A voice fills my ears and Lazarus' head shakes at the same time.

"..." I take a moment to process what just happened.

"..." The voice is quiet now, but it felt too real to put off as a trick.

"Um, hello?"

"Hello there." The voice responds as the head shakes again, almost as if it was speaking to me.

"...!" My vision dims and my head pulses as I am so overwhelmed that I can't even scream.

I start falling back into my bed, stunned by the very real possibility that a head is talking to me and the body is at my door. My senses are getting clouded and a loss of balance is taking hold of my head as I continue to hold the head against my chest, silently wishing that this is all just a dream. I shut my eyes slowly and wait for sleep to overtake me, or anything that will get me out of this nightmare. For a long while, everything is quiet and it feels even more heavenly than usual. I'm really starting to appreciate my home more than ever if I can lazily spend every day like this. But, like most things in life, it doesn't last long before reality comes knocking.

-Knock knock knock-

 _Please no, please no...anyone but the one I'm thinking about..._

My thoughts send a nervous prayer to whatever god will listen as I get up and walk to the front door. I'm still clutching the head in my arms, but no matter how tightly I hug it, I can't shake off this feeling of unease. Swimming in fear, I gingerly turn the doorknob before carefully pulling open the door. As expected, Lazarus' body is there except now something seems different: just as the body 'sees' its head in my arms, it holds out a sack of money. I'm confused by this motion, but it does serve to considerably lessen the shock of a headless body appearing at my house. I can't think of anything else to do, so I take the money bag and hand the head to the body. Something like a squishing sound comes from the body, but thankfully I don't know what it was _exactly_ since I turned my back to check the money bag. In a stunning move, I turn back to see Lazarus remove his helmet, revealing the fact that Lazarus is not a man at all, but a rather cute silver-haired woman! I'm at a loss for words, but I am able to gesture for her to come in, which she gladly does.

* * *

"So...what _are_ you exactly?" I ask her as we sit down at my kitchen table.

"I am a member of the Demon Lord's elite guard. Surely you've heard stories about the Dullahan knights?" She smirks with pride as I hand her a cup of coffee.

"Nope, never even heard the name until now. I thought you would have figured that out based on my reactions to your body _and_ head." I sip some of my own coffee, but cringe once I realize that I forgot to add milk and sugar.

"Indeed, your response to my certainly was... _interesting_."

"I almost died, twice. So what was a Dullahan doing by leading troops in the Order?"

"I was ordered by her Lordship to infiltrate our enemies and possibly recruit soldiers for our army." She takes another sip of coffee, which looks normal enough despite the way her head works.

"So, Lazarus-" I try to keep a straight face and not focus too much on the strangeness of her body.

"Who?"

"Isn't that your name?" I finish off my coffee.

"No, my name is Lilith." She holds up her cup, now empty.

"Then why were people calling you 'Lazarus' and why were dressed like a guy?" I grab the coffee pot and refill both of our cups.

"I wasn't even aware of my nickname. As for your other question, my armor is just a bit bulky. I asked my Lord to give me a slimmer fit, but they ran out of materials after this was made." She pats her old armor, spreading dust and dirt all over the table.

"Why is your armor so dirty, anyway? A month can't really get it that filthy..."

"After you 'killed me' and took my head with you, my body was buried in a funeral service. It had to dig through 6 feet of dirt to get back here." She pats her body again in pride, adding yet more dirt to the table.

While I don't mind talking to Lilith now that I've heard her story, the dirt on her armor is bothering me. I finish my second cup of coffee and put the empty cup in the sink, leaving the room afterwards. A few minutes later, I return with a towel and throw it to Lilith, who catches it and looks at me with curious eyes.

"Shower's out back. I'll set some clothes aside for you by the time you're finished. Please leave your armor outside."

* * *

 **A/N:** You know when they say 'Look at the face, not the body'? I think I finally understand what they meant by that. Hell, if I was in Gabriel's spot when he answered the door, I would've probably punched Lilith's body while screaming. If only my mornings were as peaceful as Gabriel's...most of mine involve anime, videogames, and writing one-shots. Oh well, it's not a 'normal' life, but it's 'productive and happy' for me which is the most important thing. Next chapter will be out tomorrow as always, so be sure to check back!


	4. Development

**A/N:** Back for more? Good. This story's getting quite comedic in value, but you should always keep a clear conscience when reading. You'll never what will happen next, given my default mental state. Anyways, last chapter came the big reveal that Lazarus, the Order Commander, is actually the Dullahan Lilith! Betcha didn't see that one coming, huh? This chapter goes into more detail about what Gabriel does on his off days, as well as introduces the main plot that is mention in the description. Enjoy!

* * *

Somehow, I find myself becoming increasingly accepting of Lilith as she sits across from me with her head set next to her body. The large shirt that she is wearing covers her up pretty well, but still leaves some thought to the imagination. As long as her body doesn't lean forward in any way, I won't see the neck cross-section and possibly vomit. Thinking about this reminds of something obvious that I missed: I never really found out anything about Lilith's race in general. I open my mouth to act on this, but the way her body is fixing her hair in front of me makes me reluctant to say anything. It might just be me, but the way she is looking at me seems...predatory. I dismiss the thought and ask her to put her head back on after she finishes with her hair. A few minutes pass before I can talk, but looking at Lilith's red eyes still sends shivers down my spine.

"Could you tell me about something?" I start out.

"...Is it something personal?" She responds.

"No, I just want to know more about your race."

"The Dullahan are a time-honored race who have stood as guardians to the Monster Lord ever since-"

"I only wanted to know the basics. History kind of bores me..." A yawn escapes my mouth, proving my point.

"Fine. Dullahan are what you Humans may call 'headless knights'. Our heads are merely stoppers for our body's spirit energy, and there's a distinct difference in personality between the two parts. We can survive very long periods without eating or sleeping, so I'm guessing that also played a part in my false identity."

"Wait, so when I chopped your head off last month...did it hurt?" Lilith frowns at me as soon as I cast a look at her.

"You chopped off my head. No matter how cleanly you cut, it still hurts whoever you do it to."

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked then..." I apologize dejectedly.

"That was a joke."

"Wait, you actually have a sense of humor?" I'm bewildered by this realization.

"Yes, I **do** have emotions like any other person." The perpetual frown on her face makes it hard for me to believe that.

"So, what do you plan to do now that your cover's gone?"

"I must infiltrate the Order once again, with a new identity..." Lilith looks at me with a knowing glance.

"And you expect me to help? No thanks; I risk my life enough with making a living." I stand up from my seat.

"I could arrange a generous payment for your assistance." With that, I sit back down with interest.

"Not my expertise, but we'll discuss that along with the price. What are the details of this job you're offering?" I lean forward with a grin.

"I need you to accompany me inside the Order, watching my flanks and taking every chance to sabotage it from within."

"Sounds like a tough job, but I heard 'perform a riot' somewhere in there so you've got my attention. How much is the minimum payment for all this?"

"I can guarantee you at least 250,000 crowns and-"

"I'm in." That offer is far larger than my expectations, and I excitedly shake Lilith's hand.

"Eh? E-Excellent. I-I'm glad you are a-able to join me on this mission. N-Now could you please stop shaking me so strongly?" Lilith cracks a nervous smile, but I retreat my hands once I realize something.

"Hold on, there's still the issue of my _advance payment_. I can't take this job with some _incentive_ , yes?"

"...If I must..." Lilith slowly starts lifting up her shirt, but I grab her hands before they reveal anything explicit.

"Stop, stop! I just want to take you on a date! That's it, really! There's no need for you to go that far!" I cringe as Lilith's hands continue to slowly travel upwards along with her shirt.

"A date...", her hands stop and I breath a sigh of relief, "What reason do you have to ask me for a date?"

"Well, it's because...actually, I don't even know myself. I guess I just feel like getting to know you better as a person." I rub the back of my head in confusion, not really understanding why my thoughts went down this route.

"Okay then, I accept your offer. I apologize if I'm not as interesting as you may think."

* * *

Just before we walk out of the door, I pull Lilith back inside and sit her down on the couch again. A quick trip to my room and she's now wearing a pair of long pants instead of being exposed from the waist down. I think about where to take her, but decide that the best thing to do is to replace her clothes and armor. The first place we stop by is the local clothing store that I often frequent, Kayla's Tailoring. The owner is an old friend of mine whom I've gotten to know in my business and let's just say that we've gotten rather close from our...encounters. It's a small and simple-looking shop, but the quality of her products is on par with Arachne silk in terms of craftsmanship. I don't know if there's a special kind of clothing for Dullahan, but it doesn't look like Lilith is opposed to the idea of buying clothes. She seems more thoughtful than anything, as I often need to stop and look back to see Lilith staring off into space. As we get closer to Kayla's, I don't know why I'm starting to feel worried about Lilith meeting Kayla. It's not like Kayla and I are dating, nor have we ever. All that we usually do is exchange hugs and go out for lunch, but that's normal between friends, right?

"Yay, Gabby's back!" Kayla's cheery voice reaches me, but only after I feel its owner collide into me with an affectionate hug.

"Thanks for the warm welcome, Kay." I pat her on the head and return her hug.

I look back at Lilith, who seems to be watching us with an unknown intensity.

"Kay, this is Lilith. I'm working with her on another job, but I figured that I'd do something nice and take her out on a date."

"Mmm, you sure know how to treat a girl; I should know that best of all. So, Lilith, what do you think of Gabby so far?"

"...'Gabby?'..." Lilith gives me a confused look.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. My name's Gabriel, hence the name 'Gabby'." I explain nervously.

"Only I can call him Gabby, so keep that in mind okay?" Kayla grins at Lilith, who is still somewhat stunned by the woman's active behavior.

"Gabriel, what is your relationship with this woman?" Lilith's voice is eerily calm despite Kayla's strong affections.

"Oh, Gabby and I are best friends! Or at least something _closer_ at one point..." Kayla presses her modest chest to my arm, causing my face to flush lightly.

"Anyways, Kay, do you think you make up the perfect outfit for Lilith? We can't have her looking like that, right?"

"Right." Kayla's eyes light up and she smiles inhumanly wide at the chance to pick out an outfit for someone.

"...?" Lilith's unknowing face is all I see before she vanishes once Kayla grabs onto her.

Knowing my old friend's tendencies at these times, I do what usually do and lay down on the cushioned bench that Kayla keeps in the store and close my eyes for a short, but well-deserved nap.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm so freaking peeved right now. The chapter was great, but technology has once again failed me. The original copy of the full story that I had still been working on got **corrupted.** So basically, I lost all of the progress I had on the latest chapter (7) and have to recreate it. Luckily, I always save each chapter as a separate document after I finish it, so it's not too much work to just piece the whole story back together. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and can look forward to reading the next one! Please comment, follow, favorite, whatever you like if this chapter really had a huge impact on you.


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